Tears in My Eyes

[lexusnexus]

Went out to the garden today to harvest a few maters before the plants come. A great sadness for sure. But, "to every season...," it's time to begin planning for next year. Which ones made the cut for next year, which ones are out, what new varieties to replace them. But the thought of actually going to the super market for "fresh" tomatoes turns my stomach. We did some canning (first time in my life) and put up stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. We've at least captured the freshness and sweetness of our harvest...

Dan

[AlittleSalt]

It is a sad thought of buying those Supermarket tomatoes. I don't know what they're like in MD, but here in TX, supermarket tomatoes have no taste. There is actually more taste buying whole canned tomatoes and adding a little salt and pepper.

[beeman]

I constantly read complaints regarding the taste of supermarket tomatoes, but here in Ontario they're not half bad. Most are from the Niagara area, greenhouse grown and are not noticeably different than the stuff I grow in the garden.

Perhaps your USA supermarkets should look North for tastier Toms?

Wouldn't that be a turn up for the books?

[MissS]

Dan, It is a sad day when the garden ends. I have been making sauce as fast as I can. My daughter just loves it and it disappears almost as quickly as I can make it. Hopefully some will make it to winter. The sauce has a great fresh tomato flavor.

I refuse to buy store bought fresh tomatoes very often. For salads and such I will use the red bell peppers for color. They also have more flavor than the stores tomatoes.

[KC.Sun]

I never really looked into why I would not eat supermarket tomatoes until I started growing them again. Supermarket tomatoes have a really oily/waxy feel to me, not to mention mealy texture and feel.

I guess as a kid, I got used to eating what I grew with my dad. Tomatoes being one of the types I loved to grow. I remember them tasting amazing.

When I started gardening again this year, the first thing I thought was, "I will never eat another supermarket tomato again."

I guess what I'm trying to saying is that, what I grow, there are so many amazing options and possibilities. Food grown fresh in my own garden, really cannot be compared to supermarket options. My first tomato this season, I really thought, "Wow! This is a tomato?"

[Lindalana]

Have to say I do not buy market tomatoes. For one I follow yin and yang concept so soups in the winter and salads in the summer.
I grow lots of tomatoes and cover variety of canning- juice, soup stock, salsa, pasta sauce, dehydrated dry, added varied veggies, zukes with tomatoes, cukes with tomatoes, eggplants with tomatoes, adjuika, lecho. I can enough till next year and then some to share and spare. There will be a bit of fresh tomatoes to last me till Dec. I will start early tomatoes in WOW to have first ones in June. So it is really not that bad and no need for market tomatoes IMHO

[Gardeneer]

Fact of life : we watch our garden(s) grow and watch it die. But as long as there exists another season, and some hope it is not that bitter.

Gardeneer

[JerryHaskins]

Well . . . I was nursing my tomatoes through the burning hot dry summer, and then the deer came and ate most of what was left.

My last water bill was $100, which is about 3 times normal.

Weather has cooled a bit and we had some rain.

I have managed to resuscitate a few survivors and they now have blossoms and small green tomatoes on them.

I was raised on a farm and never really appreciated tomatoes my folks grew. Since I left home, until I started gardening, I had only been exposed to what we call "factory tomatoes": tomatoes that were picked green and allowed to "ripen" in transit and in the store.

And what fast food places put on burgers are not tomatoes. I am not sure what they are or where they get them. (By the way, seems that every slice has a green core. Wonder what they do with the red slices?)

I now grow and give away tomatoes, and everybody loves them and asked for more!

One trick is to only pick them when they are ripe, and NEVER EVER refrigerate a tomato. Once you do, you might as well throw it away. They turn mushy and like cardboard in the fridge.

[Ricky Shaw]

Originally Posted by beeman

I constantly read complaints regarding the taste of supermarket tomatoes, but here in Ontario they're not half bad. Most are from the Niagara area, greenhouse grown and are not noticeably different than the stuff I grow in the garden.

Here, the Whole Foods and King Sooper's markets carry a better grade of tomato year round. Undoubtedly they are price prohibitive obviously, or they'd have more display space.

I think people in general want the cheapest tomato, then complain endlessly what a crappy product it is. Like airline tickets.

[drew51]

My garden still has plenty of life. i have no plans to give it up anytime soon. Winter crops can be planted. I still have late season peaches ripening on a tree. It needs at least 3 more weeks. I will be planting garlic soon for next year. And then of course the fall prep to prepare for next year. Shredded leaves and compost is added late fall.
My tomato plants are still producing too, as are my peppers.

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

Here, the Whole Foods and King Sooper's markets carry a better grade of tomato year round. Undoubtedly they are price prohibitive obviously, or they'd have more display space.

I think people in general want the cheapest tomato, then complain endlessly what a crappy product it is. Like airline tickets.

I think it comes down to choices. If I had the choice to buy more expensive but more flavourful tomatoes then I would definitely do just that. Problem is when you simply don't have the choice. Locally they sell red round (salad tomatoes) which really have very little flavour. They also sell a "Jam tomato" which looks like a typical of roma but at least has some taste.

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Zenbaas

I think it comes down to choices. If I had the choice to buy more expensive but more flavourful tomatoes then I would definitely do just that. Problem is when you simply don't have the choice. Locally they sell red round (salad tomatoes) which really have very little flavour. They also sell a "Jam tomato" which looks like a typical of roma but at least has some taste.

When my own tomatoes are all gone I do get roma type from the store as well. They are at least a bit better than the rest, including green house (on the vine). The once on the vine smell good but are watery and low sugar. We use roma type in salads.

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by efisakov

When my own tomatoes are all gone I do get roma type from the store as well. They are at least a bit better than the rest, including green house (on the vine). The once on the vine smell good but are watery and low sugar. We use roma type in salads.

Agreed. That and not refrigerating the tomatoes as well as leaving them to ripen a bit more also helps quite a bit.